Calciopoli Scandal 2006 (Archive)

The Calciopoli Scandal which engulfed Italian football in the summer of 2006 stunned the football world and left a shadow over Italy's 4th World Cup triumph in Germany. It was an extraordinary tale involving wiretaps, illicit meetings and even locking referees in dressing rooms. On this updated blog we unraveled the tangled web which has shaken Italian football...

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Calciopoli: New charges for "organisers of a criminal association"

Naples magistrates have on Tuesday completed their latest investigations into the referee-rigging "Calciopoli" scandal and have charged 37 people including former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi.

Last year a sporting tribunal stripped Juventus of their last two Serie A titles and demoted them to Serie B after being found guilty, while AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio, Reggina and second division outfit Arezzo all started last season with points deductions.

Moggi, the alleged ringleader of attempts to arrange friendly match officials for some teams' games, is accused of "sporting fraud" and of being part of a criminal organisation.

This latest investigation is a separate probe to that held last summer. According to the prosecutors, there are 29 games from the 2004-05 Serie A season and one from Serie B that have been investigated.

Ex Juve director Antonio Giraudo, Milan official Leonardo Meani, Fiorentina owners Andrea Della Valle and Diego Della Valle, Lazio president Claudio Lotito, and former Italian Federation (FIGC) chiefs Franco Carraro and Innocenzo Mazzini were accused of being some of "the creators and organisers of a criminal association" by prosecutors Filippo Beatrice and Giuseppe Narducci.

Former referee-designators Paolo Bergamo and Pier Luigi Pairetto - both suspected of fixing friendly match-officials for Moggi, three referees - Massimo De Santis, Salvatore Racalbuto and Pasquale Rodomonti - and two linesmen were among those prosecutors want to bring to trial.

The case will now go to a preliminary hearing, where a judge will decide whether to grant the prosecutors' requests.

When news of the new Naples investigation broke in April, fans feared it would lead to further sanctions for clubs following the demotions and points deductions suffered last season. It now looks highly unlikely that clubs will be hit a second time but Moggi may be among those facing further punishment, possibly including prison.CHARGED: Marcello Ambrosino, Duccio Baglioni, Paolo Bergamo, Paolo Bertini, Franco Carraro, Stefano Cassara, Enrico Ceniccola, Antonio Dattilo, Massimo De Santis, Andrea Della Valle, Diego Della Valle, Paolo Dondarini, Mariano Fabiani, Maria Grazia Fazi, Giuseppe Foschetti, Pasquale Foti, Marco Gabriele, Silvio Gemignani, Francesco Ghirelli, Antonio Giraudo, Alessandro Griselli, Tullio Lanese, Claudio Lotito, Gennaro Mazzei, Innocenzo Mazzini, Leonardo Meani, Sandro Mencucci, Domenico Messina, Luciano Moggi, Pierluigi Pairetto, Tiziano Pieri, Claudio Puglisi, Salvatore Racalbuto, Gianluca Rocchi, Pasquale Rodomonti, Ignazio Scardina and Stefano Titomanlio.These latest charges came on the same day a Rome court announced that many of Italian football's biggest names will be called to give evidence in the trial regarding GEA World, a players' management agency run by Moggi's son Alessandro.

Alessandro and Luciano Moggi are both on trial in Rome, along with Davide Lippi, the son of Italy's World Cup-winning coach Marcello, and three other people. They are accused of gaining an illegal hold over the Serie A transfer market by intimidating players into dropping their existing agents and signing up with GEA.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Judge: Juve safe, Messina at risk

The judge in charge of the first Calciopoli trial assures Juventus cannot be punished again, but Messina could face heavy sanctions.

The Naples public prosecutors concluded their investigation yesterday and released a list of 48 people suspected of wrongdoing, a standard step before possible criminal charges are issued.

Once again the match-fixing allegations rotate around former Juve director general Luciano Moggi, accused of providing Swiss SIM cards to referees and designators to contact them without being traced.

However, the Bianconeri seem to be safe from further punishment after their summer demotion to Serie B.

"What do Juventus risk? Our decision did not examine individual incidents, as we had to rule on a ‘climate’ created to favour Juventus," explained Piero Sandulli, the judge in charge of the Federal Court that sent the club to Serie B with a 17-point penalty – later reduced to nine on appeal.

"If these new games under investigation are part of that ‘climate’, I doubt that Juventus can risk anything else in disciplinary terms. It would be a sporting matter that had already been sentenced."

The same cannot be said of Messina, who play a role in the Naples investigation and were in fact saved from relegation by Calciopoli, as Juve’s demotion freed up a space in the top flight.

"Messina do run a risk in this case," confirmed Sandulli to the ‘Gazzetta dello Sport.’ “We were told nothing about their role from the public prosecutors in the CAF or the Federal Court. Messina’s is a new case there was only the briefest mention of, so I don’t think it was analysed by the sporting justice system."

Sandulli also gave his view on the new element in the Moggi scandal – the Swiss SIM cards used by referees.

"A reserved SIM card in itself is not illegal, even if it is very strange. It becomes sporting fraud if that card is used to make phone calls in order to fix a match or anything else. In any case, it is odd. I doubt these mobile phones were ‘reserved’ to call their wives and say they were coming home for dinner…"

With the latest accusations levelled at Juventus, there are reports the club could face further sanctions just as it is about to re-enter Serie A following their summer demotion.

"Who said Juve will be involved? No chance! Juventus have already paid more than enough of a price. I really don’t see how they could be dragged into it again, especially as there’s nothing to it."

The ex-director general reserved his most barbed comments for the claims that Salvatore Racalbuto booked Reggina full-back Giandomenico Mesto in the game against Messina so that he would be suspended for the next match with Juve.

"I read that story and fell about laughing. Please – imagine how we were quaking in our boots at the thought of Mesto coming to Turin…"

Naples prosecutors have finally closed their match-fixing probe after almost a year and have named 48 people who they suspect of wrongdoing, a standard step before possible criminal charges are issued.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Milan sue for 2005 Scudetto

With the new wave of Calciopoli investigations, Milan vice-President Adriano Galliani announced the club was seeking to legally be awarded the 2005 Scudetto.

The title was stripped from Juventus and left unassigned after the trial that saw the Turin giants demoted in the summer.

However, the latest inquiry has named the 0-0 draw between Juve and Milan at the Stadio Delle Alpi – officiated by referee Paolo Bertini – as one of the games where there were suspicions of wrongdoing.

"I remember that match well. Very well," said Galliani. "From the summer our fans understood what had really happened. We didn’t need this confirmation."

That result effectively ended the Rossoneri’s Scudetto hopes and if the Naples investigation finds Juve responsible of influencing it, we could see another drawn-out court battle.

"The 2004-05 Scudetto? Our lawyers are working on it. I don’t know if it is a Utopia to hope for the title, but it does seem a very complicated affair."

The Delle Alpi encounter took place on December 18, 2004 and was dominated by Milan, who were unable to score as Andriy Shevchenko hit the woodwork. There was also a strong early penalty shout for Jonathan Zebina hauling back Hernan Crespo from getting on the end of a Shevchenko assist and another complaint for Zebina’s tackle on Kakha Kaladze in the area.

Milan were also furious on 66 minutes when Kaka dispossessed Lilian Thuram and was running at the Juve defence with three against two, but the referee stopped play for a free kick rather than giving the advantage.

Nothing to fear, say Juve

Juventus have issued a statement to reassure fans that today’s twist in the Calciopoli investigation will not see them punished further.

Public prosecutors in Naples are set to provide the Italian Football Federation with new evidence of alleged match-fixing during 2004-05, with some reports claiming that the Bianconeri could be hit again.

However, the Turin giants have this afternoon claimed that they have already paid the price for the misdemeanours of previous employees Luciano Moggi and Antonio Giraudo.

"The news reported in the newspapers today does not change the club’s conviction that it cannot be held responsible for any wrongdoing referred to the past management," read a note on the club’s website.

"The players and the entire Juve staff have faced the Serie B championship with passion and professionalism, overcoming last summer’s crisis.

"The current managers are aware that a very high price was paid and that there are no pending issues with the sporting justice, and this has allowed them to plan the outfit’s future serenely.

"To the fans, who have never faltered in their support, Juventus can confirm their desire to start winning again and return to the very top of the world game."

President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli had already distanced the outfit from claims that they were set for further penalisation after the stripping of two Serie A titles and demotion to Serie B with a nine-point deduction.

"We have to make it clear that Calciopoli didn’t start with Juventus," the chief argued. "We’ve already paid the price for it, perhaps too much.

"After all, the decision to take away the 2006 Scudetto from us and hand it to Inter is still incomprehensible today."

Calciopoli II to hit Juve?

Juventus could reportedly face more penalties for their part in the Calciopoli scandal after public prosecutors in Naples wrapped up their investigation.

The Italian giants were stripped of their last two League titles and thrown into Serie B with a nine-point penalty, but Bianconeri fans are fearing another summer on trial.

Prosecutors in Naples have finally closed their match-fixing probe after almost a year and have named 48 people who they suspect of wrongdoing, a standard step before possible criminal charges are issued.

It is now expected that their findings will be passed on to Saverio Borrelli, the head of the Italian Football Federation’s (FIGC) investigative team, who may opt to open a new sporting trial as a result.

It’s understood that a total of 39 games from the 2004-05 campaign are among a list of incriminated ties, 15 of which were not previously made known by the Naples investigation.

Among the fresh games under suspicion is a Juventus-Milan tie which ended 0-0 in Turin from the season in question.

The scandal erupted last May when a number of intercepted telephone calls between leading figures of the Italian game and referees raised doubts over the legitimacy of the '04-05 championship.

Former Juventus general director Luciano Moggi was placed at the centre of the scandal after being accused of setting up a network in an attempt to influence the outcome of matches.

With regards to Juventus, it has been claimed that they may be asked to face more FIGC charges depending on what Borrelli finds in the reports.

But the Turin giants are remaining calm about the situation. "Until we have something concrete in our possession then it is not right to say anything," said club lawyer Luigi Chiappero.

However, President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli quickly shot down claims that his outfit may face further penalisation for either this season or next. "We have to make it clear that Calciopoli didn’t start with Juventus," he argued. "We’ve already paid the price for it, perhaps too much.

"After all, the decision to take away the 2006 Scudetto from us and hand it to Inter is still incomprehensible today."

Lazio, Milan, Reggina, Fiorentina and Arezzo were the other clubs punished by the FIGC for their part in Calciopoli, as well as numerous club, FIGC and refereeing officials.

Only one referee, Massimo De Santis, was found guilty of misconduct in the sporting courts.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Arezzo appeal to TAR

Arezzo have decided to lodge an appeal to TAR against their six-point Calciopoli penalty.

The Tuscan minnows had been initially handed a nine-point deduction by the Federal Court last summer, then reduced to six after their appeal.

The Serie B side had then appealed to the Italian Olympic Committee’s Court of Arbitration, who however confirmed the handicap for the 2006-07 campaign.

"There is no evidence that any Arezzo official or employee was responsible of wrongdoing," stated a note posted on the club’s website.

"However, we were handed a severe punishment. The club believes that we were the victims of prejudice and have therefore decided to lodge an appeal to the civil court, to protect our own legitimate interests."

All the other clubs involved in the match-fixing scandal had decided not to go down this path, after both the FIGC and the International Federation had threatened to dock even more points if any scandal-hit club decided to go to the civil courts.

"We are confident that we might have a final verdict before the end of the season," confirmed one of Arezzo’s lawyers.

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